Cowboys Nostalgia: Roger Staubach

I remember growing up, playing football, merely to impress my dad. What pissed me off the most, was that everyone was so much better then me.

You always had that one guy, whose looks pierced the hearts of class cheerleaders, whose talent long surpassed the extent that mine would ever reach. Subconsciously, you envied that guy, but you were thrilled that he was on your side.

That guy in someone else's world evolved into one that became the face of America's Team. Roger Staubach was Tom Landry's "guy" so to speak in the early years of this evolving franchise. A man of man names-Captain comeback, Roger the Dodger, and Captain America, Roger lived up to all these names. His play was matchless, His heart was invigorating, but his passion and desire to win, that defined him.

Roger was a navy and Vietnam veteran, and drafted in the 10th round of the NFL draft in 1964. Staubach became in instant crutch to the Cowboy's offense in week 8 of his rookie season when he took over full time duties ahead of Craig Morton. Staubach would take the Cowboys for 10 straight wins and a Super Bowl Victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Roger, a six time Pro-Bowler, lived up to his nicknames of Roger the Dodger and Captain comeback by his incredible scrambling abilities and his uncanny ability to orchestrate fourth quarter comebacks. Roger's leadership was the kick starter to the careers of Bullet-Bob Hayes and Drew Pearson. He was a gunslinger who had the vision and speed to make the meanest of defensive players cringe.

With two Super Bowl victories it is undeniable that Roger is a player that always gave hope, you might not like this, but a similar player still holds that position today. One remarkable credit due to Roger is the invention of the "Hail Mary" pass. In 1975, in a game versus Minnesota, Staubach launched a 50 yard bomb to WR Drew Pearson for a TD to in the game in the last seconds to win the game. Afterwards he joked that he prayed a "Hail Mary" during the play.

Career accomplishments of Roger include:

Pro Bowl Selection Six Times

4-Time NFL Passing Champion

Super Bowl MVP

Won two Super Bowl Titles

Won Five NFC Titles

Won Seven Division Titles

Named NFL MVP

Named to the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor (1983)

Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1985)

Roger completed his career with 1,685 completions for 22,700 yards and 153 touchdowns, with 109 interceptions. Blazing 2,264 rushing yards and scored 21 touchdowns on a amazing 410 attempts.

As we progress through the days, it will be hard to ever see a player with the leadership, skill, and heart that Captain America played with. His impact on the Cowboys was comparable to that of many of their other legends, but his greatest impact is the impact he made on the NFL as an Off the Field gentlemen and an On the Field perfectionist. His intelligence simply manhandled teams and we as Cowboys fans should honor the great things he's done to the development of the Cowboys.

Cowboys Chill While Pats & Rams Set to Thrill

If you were to check out the line on the Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams, you might wander over to Sportsbook Review, where you could read a 5Dimes review and see what all the best online sportsbooks, first and foremost among them 5Dimes, are dealing on this intriguing matchup. Tom Brady and the Patriots, much to everyone’s chagrin outside the six New England states, are back in it – again – and are currently slight favorites over the emerging LA Rams.

In New England’s 37-31 victory over the Chiefs, the Patriots did what they always seem to do, which is rally late and win in dramatic fashion. It’s become almost a ho-hum experience in New England while the rest of the country bites on a bullet, cursing the embarrassment of riches and success that has been the standard of this Patriots’ franchise for two decades. But this was supposed to be the season that the dynasty would end after viewing Tom Brady’s often mediocre performances and his All-World tight end, Rob Gronkowski, hobbling up and down the field without the same reckless abandon as we’ve seen in year’s past. And then their only truly talented speed merchant capable of stretching the field, Josh Gordon, left the team under a cloud of suspicion.

Unfortunately for the rest of the nation, the Patriots' once porous defense coalesced into a rather stout unit and apparently, the two weeks between the end of the regular season and the start of the Patriots’ postseason was enough time for Brady to heal from his rumored sprained MCL that he had been dealing with in silence all season long.

Gronkowski must have also visited the same shaman as Brady because he looked as dominating as ever in ripping the Chiefs on every critical third-down throughout the final quarter. Finally, the conduit to much of Brady’s success, Julian Edelman, is now being mentioned as a Hall-of-Fame candidate when his run is done.

It’s all a bit much for everyone else, but not for Patriots Nation.

The LA Rams will be the Patriots’ latest foe on the league’s grandest stage as they have a burgeoning superstar in Jared Goff. Los Angeles tore through the regular season off of the golden arm of Goff and his Juggernauts, winning 13 of 16 and earning a first-round bye. Their first foray into the 2018 postseason was a 30-22 win over the determined but overwhelmed Dallas Cowboys. The Rams then traveled to the lair of Drew Brees and the Saints down on the bayou and came away with a 26-23 overtime victory.

However, had it not been for an inexcusable non-call, it is far more likely LA would be watching, rather than participating in this year’s Super Bowl. If you didn’t see it or hadn’t heard about it, then the question begs; why are you reading this article?

Of course, you know that LA’s cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman steamrolled New Orleans’ wideout Tommylee Lewis as Brees’ pass was descending toward Lewis inside the five-yard line. It was a penalty without a flag and that one blown call forced the Saints to settle for a field goal that pushed them ahead 23-20. Yet, there was still enough time on the clock to give Goff and his prolific Rams’ offense one last gasp at either tying the game or putting a dagger through the hearts of Saints’ fans everywhere with a touchdown in the waning moments.

It was the former and not the latter that occurred, but an errant pass by Brees in overtime sealed the deal as the Rams picked it off and ultimately ended the contest off the thunderous foot of Greg Zuerlein.

If you want to check out the line movements over the next two weeks for Super Bowl LIII then get on over to Sportsbook Review, read the 5Dimes review, and see exactly where the money is moving the spread as well as the total in the game. Buckle up Cowboys’ fans, it’s gonna get even more interesting as February 3rd draws near.

Tell me what you think about "Cowboys en Español: Hablemos de los Coaches" in the comments below, or tweet me @MauNFL and let’s talk football! If you like football and are looking for a Dallas Cowboys show in Spanish, don’t miss my weekly Facebook Live! show, Primero Cowboys!

2018 Draft Class Season Review: LB Leighton Vander Esch

As the first round draft pick of America's Team, any player would be under a ton of pressure from all angles. Whether it's from the fans on the outside or the organization on the inside, the expectations around being a first round pick for the Cowboys are immense. But the pressure placed upon linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, from the second he was announced as the 19th overall draft pick, was second to none.

It felt like Cowboys Nation let out a collective groan when Vander Esch was taken, with fans hoping for a more glamorous first round selection. Someone like wide receiver Calvin Ridley or edge rusher Harold Landry would've done the trick, but after Vander Esch's rookie season it's hard to imagine either of those players would have had the impact Vander Esch did in 2018.

Though he didn't start a game until week 4, and didn't become the unquestioned full-time starting WILL until week 10, Vander Esch earned Pro Bowl honors for his rookie season. Tallying 140 total tackles and 2 interceptions, Vander Esch made his presence felt week in and week out.

Prior to the 2018 season, the Cowboys defensive success often came down to the health of Sean Lee. When available and playing at his best, Lee led an overachieving Cowboys defense to solid performances each week. But, when Lee went out (as he often did), the entire Cowboys defense seemed to fall apart.

This year, though, that all changed. When Sean Lee was out with injury the Cowboys defense got better. Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith became a versatile, hard hitting tandem the NFL immediately feared, and helped to direct the Cowboys defense to signature wins throughout the 2018 season.

There are arguments against taking any off-ball linebacker in the first round, as the value of the position has been questioned due to the new style of offense in the NFL. Nowadays linebackers are relegated to two-down players, taken off the field in favor of faster defensive backs on critical passing downs.

Leighton Vander Esch is athletic enough to be both an old school run stopper, but also a three down linebacker in today's fast paced NFL.

Despite the doubts which surrounded the pick, the Cowboys absolutely nailed their first round selection in 2018. And Leighton Vander Esch made Dallas' front office look like geniuses each and every Sunday.